Sydney’s winning team caps off 25 Amazing Years

Staff at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre have capped off 25 amazing years with a prestigious win at last night’s Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia’s Awards for Excellence.

Ton van Amerongen with the EEAA Award

The Centre won the Best Team award at a gala dinner held in the venue’s Parkside Ballroom, providing a fitting honour for the people behind Australia’s most successful events facility as it prepares to close for redevelopment.

The award is the latest in a string of recent accolades for the Centre, including being named the country’s best venue in last week’s Australian Event Awards.

Centre Chief Executive Ton van Amerongen said the award could not have come at a better time, giving the team important recognition for their efforts during the Centre’s 25th anniversary year.

“This award not only acknowledges the remarkable work our team has done in our final year of operation, it also underscores their achievements over the entire 25-year history of the Centre,” Mr van Amerongen said. “Every member of our staff has worked hard to ensure we conclude our service to Sydney and Australia on a high note, and I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts.”

The Centre’s award submission highlighted the Exhibition Team’s achievements over the past year – a year in which the Centre managed peak business levels and retained a highly skilled workforce while at the same time preparing for closure.

The team was responsible for welcoming more than 820,000 visitors to the Centre and achieved its highest ever client satisfaction rating.

Despite the Centre’s upcoming redevelopment, the team implemented a succession of new initiatives and services, including new waste management systems and other environmental measures, new website features and more efficient online ordering systems.

Mr van Amerongen said the entire Centre team had shown remarkable dedication over the past year.

“We set out to ensure it would be more than just business as usual in the lead-up to our closure, and our staff have made this one of the best years in the Centre’s 25-year history,” Mr van Amerongen said.